1976 – 1979.

Hello little old lady!

Oh my word, how fabulous, I’ve woken up with a Happiness Dragon in my head…and appear to be reliving my childhood for the second morning in a row. Am I regressing?

This is, of course, Chorlton and the Wheelies, the fabulous TV animation from Cosgrove Hall Films that ran from September 1976 through to June 1979. The name Chorlton comes from the Manchester suburb Chorlton cum Hardy and in the very first episode, the words ‘Made in Chorlton-cum-Hardy’ can be seen written on the inside of the egg that Chorlton hatches from.

Known for being perpetually happy, good-natured and basically clueless, Chorlton is probably best remembered for the line “Hello little old lady” that came about from him failing to recognise Fenella the Witch as the villain, instead seeing her as just an innocent pensioner.

Oh, just one more thing. Whilst the programme and characters were created in Manchester, Chorlton actually has a Yorkshire accent – just saying.